Seed-cleaning apparatus.



PATENTED APR. s, 1906.v

D. P. COOLEY. SEED CLEANING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED MAR.23, 1905.

fiweizon M u? @JQ/ N TED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

DANIEL P COOLEY, OF GRANBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OFl ONE-HALF TOTHEODORE G. CASE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

SEED-CLEANING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3,'1906.

Application filed March 23, 1905. Serial No. 251,574.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL P. COOLEY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Granby, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The obj ect of the invention is to produce a device of the classspecified having features of novelty and advantage.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation in section, illustratingan embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top vieW of the same. Fig. 3is a detail sectional view.

Referring to the drawings, a is a tubular member forming the cleaningchamber e. This is preferably made of transparent material, so that thecleaning operation can be watched and the necessary regulationaccomplished. Mounted on the top of this tubular member is thedelivery-funnel b, ending in a tube b', which extends slightly into thetube of the chamber and has located at its lower end a spreader c, whichscatters the seeds as they fall to the bottom of the chamber. Thisfunnel is provided with a sliding gate b2 to regulate the rate ofdischarge of the seeds into the cleaning-chamber. The tubular member ais enlarged at its bottom, as at a2, and is mounted in a suitable based. This base carries a receiving-funnel e, having an outlet-orifice Thereceiving-funnel e is located directly under the cleaning-chamber andreceives the seeds as they drop to the bottom thereof. It is ofslightly-larger diameter than the diameter of the chamber, and its upperedge underlies the shoulder formed by the enlargement c2 of the tubularmember a. It will be seen that by adjusting the tubular member up anddown in the base the sides of the passage Qc between the edge of thefunnel and the tubular member may be varied. A suitable apparatus, suchas the blast-fan g, is provided to supply an air-blast which passesthrough the passage and up through the cleaning-chamber.

The operation of the device will be apparent. The air-blast passingupwardly meets the falling seeds and carries up with it and out at thetop of the cleaning-chamber any chaff or impurities, the seeds droppinginto the receiving-funnel e and passing out through the outlet-orifice.By watching the cleaning action through the transparent Walls of thetubular member the volume of the air-blast can be regulated by adjustingthe tubular member in its base until the cleaning operation isthoroughly effected. After the cleaning operation this device can beused to grade the seed .by increasing the intensity of the draft so thatthe lighter seed will be carried out of the top of the cleaning-chamberand only the heavy ones drop into the receivingfunnel. Suitableprovision should be made at the top of the chamber to collect the chaffor the lighter seeds and carry them away.

I claim as my inventionl. In a device of the class specified a base, atubular cleaning-chamber mounted in said base, the lower end of saidchamber being enlarged to form a shoulder, a delivery-funnel mounted atthe top thereof, a receiving-funnel extending into the bottom of saidcleaning-chamber in operative relation to said shoulder to form anannular passage for an air-blast, said tubular member andreceivingfunnel being adjustable with relation to one another toincrease or diminish the size of said annular passage, and means forsupplying an air-blast at the bottom of the cleaningchamber. l

2. In a device of the class specified the base, the tubular memberadjustably mounted therein, the delivery funnel arranged above saidtubular member having a tube extending into the top thereof, a gate tocontrol the discharge from said delivery-funnel, a spreader locatedunderneath the tube on the delivery-funnel, a receiving-funnel locatedbelow the cleaning-chamber and having an outlet-orifice, and theblast-fan, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL I). COOLEY.

Witnesses FREDERIC H. ALLEN, THEODORE G. CASE.

